AAS 95-325

Evaluation of Spacecraft End-of-Life Disposal to Meet NASA Management Instruction (NMI) Guidelines

L. K. Newman and D. C. Folta, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

Abstract

A recent concern of NASA Headquarters has been establishing policy to minimize orbital debris, including ensuring proper spacecraft end-of-life disposal to reduce the number of spacecraft being left on orbit beyond their useful lifetimes. Choosing and analysis method that provides sufficient accuracy while minimizing the effort which must be expended to perform the disposal analysis requires experience in the areas of spacecraft orbit design and control. This paper provides an examination of the pertinent issues related to spacecraft disposal, as well as results pertaining specifically to the Earth Observing System family of spacecraft.